MAURITIUS: Syringes and Needles Now Part of Anti-AIDS Arsenal

In contrast to the rest of southern Africa, intravenous (IV) drug users have become the group most vulnerable to the transmission of the HI virus in Mauritius. This has led the Mauritian government to introduce a syringe and needle exchange programme in a bid to stem HIV infection among Mauritian drug users.

HEALTH-ANGOLA: War, Plague, Pestilence and Death

Nearly five years after the advent of peace in Angola, following four decades of war which cost a million lives, the new killers in this Southern African country are cholera, malaria and AIDS.

HEALTH-INDIA: Campaign to Stop Monopoly of Clinical Trial Data

As public health groups await the outcome of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG’s legal challenge to India’s patent law, a campaign is building up against a parallel move to obtain 'data exclusivity' on clinical trial data submitted to government for marketing approval.

EDUCATION-MOZAMBIQUE: Orphans’ Choice: School or Survival?

The school year kicks off in Mozambique with more children enrolling for primary school than ever in the past. But educational prospects remain bleak for orphans like Regina Massango.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: “No Reason for a Child to Go Hungry”

"My child watches TV at the neighbours' and wants me to buy him a toy car, a toy gun and a bar of chocolate being advertised. I can't afford them," said Sibongile Nkosi.

CAMBODIA: Stalked by Hunger, HIV

As the month began the fate of an already vulnerable community in Cambodia grew bleaker. An estimated 740,000 people faced with acute food shortages could see no relief in sight.

SWAZILAND: Keep School Doors Open to AIDS Orphans, Vulnerable Kids

AIDS orphans aren't the only children suffering in Swaziland. Those who have lost one or both parents to the epidemic have it rough, but so do tens of thousands of other Swazi children vulnerable to food shortages, scant medical care, and unsettled home life.

HEALTH-THAILAND: Junta Defends Cheap Generic Drugs

Thailand's military-appointed government appears set to insist on the right of a developing country to save the lives of its people rather than protect the profits of Western pharmaceutical corporations.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: Calls for Science and Self-Reliance at AU Summit

To tackle the great development challenges the African continent faces, leaders gathered in the Ethiopian capital for the two-day, bi-annual summit of the African Union (AU) pointed to science and self-reliance as important tools.

HEALTH-INDIA: Anger Grows at Novartis’ Bid to Hog Cancer Drug

A public outcry has followed the challenge offered by Novartis AG in the Madras High Court to the Indian Patents Act as violating international trade laws and restricting the Swiss pharmaceutical giant's trade.

HEALTH-INDIA: Patients Before Patents, Groups Urge

A quarter of a million people from over 150 countries don't think a multinational drug company should seek to overturn a provision of India's patent law that permits the manufacture of low-cost life-saving drugs for the world's poor.

HEALTH-MEXICO: Condoms and Sexual Tolerance in the Hands of a Detractor

Using a condom is not safe, the "morning after" pill is an abortifacient, and campaigns in favour of sexual tolerance promote homosexuality. These are some of the ideas of Mexican Health Minister José Córdova that are alarming social activists and analysts.

HEALTH: Burma – HIV Hazard to Neighbours Say Experts

International health experts are warning Burma's neighbours that they face more threats from the spread of HIV along the porous borders that they share with the military-ruled country.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Rainy Season Brings Mixed Blessings

This year's rainy season has brought some mixed blessings to farmers and aid agencies operating in Southern Africa, which experienced a spell of drought and famine last year.

HEALTH-RUSSIA: Activists Lash Out at HIV Drug Replacement

Health NGOs and experts are accusing Russia's health and social development ministry of endangering the lives of tens of thousands of infected Russians by altering the list of anti-retroviral drugs the government plans to buy this year.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: End to HIV/AIDS a Tall Order in Face of Violence

The issue of violence exacerbating the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in women, has remained a hot one at the World Social Forum (WSF), taking place here this week.

HEALTH: Deadly New Strain of TB May Require Quarantines

Enforced quarantines may be needed in South Africa and elsewhere to bring a deadly, contagious and drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis under control, health experts say.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Small Ways to Solve Big Problems

"We were told to come for this celebration because it is a celebration to end poverty," Edward Njeru, driver of a tuktuk (a three-wheel vehicle used as a taxi in urban areas), said about the World Social Forum (WSF) that opened here Saturday.

DEVELOPMENT: Saving Farmers’ Four-Legged Bank Accounts

Most of the world's poor depend on livestock to survive, but international poverty reduction efforts devote little attention to the health of these animals, experts say.

HEALTH: More Children With HIV, But Also More Getting Treatment

The world's response to protect and support HIV-infected and AIDS-affected children remains "tragically insufficient", but that is beginning to change, according to a new report by the U.N. children's agency UNICEF.

CHALLENGES 2006-2007: The Struggle Continues for Mozambican Women

The contradictions in Maria’s life are typical of many women in Mozambique.